After much anticipation, Dulux has announced its new colour of the year for 2024, and it’s Sweet Embrace, there is so much to love about this warm, neutral hue that is all about belonging, a sense of warmth and safety.
Dulux said “Our 2024 colour of the year responds to society’s search for belonging. Inspired by our global trend research, it’s a hue that provides comfort during times of change. As humans we crave peaceful environments and are always wanting to find joy in our everyday experiences”.
This hotly anticipated colour which has been under wraps for 18 months, also gives us a pre-cursor of what we can expect in our interiors in 2024. A slight transition from beiges and creams, and a step towards something a little bit warmer, yet still delicate and mindful for our interiors.
Let’s have a closer look at what Dulux say about Sweet Embrace, and the best pairings for this colour of the year in an interior scheme.
What Colour Is Dulux Sweet Embrace?
Sweet Embrace is a subdued dusty pink with a chalky blue undertone. It has a more mature presence than a traditional dusty pink and is a delicate tone that pairs so well with other soft pastels, neutrals and more bold, statement making shades.
This colour of the year for 2024 was inspired by the softness of feathers and evening clouds. A great foundation colour for walls and ceilings, or for pairing with other shades in a half painted wall look, half wall panelling or even for zoning with colour in specific parts of a room.
From an interior designers perspective, I just love how workable this new neutral shade is. Whilst delicate in nature, it’s more subdued than other Dulux pink shades such as Blush Pink. We’re moving away from cold neutrals like greys, and we’ve seen much more of a movement towards warm neutrals such as taupe and pinks.
It could easily be incorporated into a modern rustic scheme with earthy neutrals such as greens and browns, with rattan textures and accessories for that rustic feel.
Equally, it could become part of a child’s nursery, with a half painted wall look with lilac or baby blue. There’s no denying that it really does bring a sense of belonging to a home, and can be taken in any way you wish within an interior.
Is Dulux Sweet Embrace Best In A North or South Facing Room?
Sweet Embrace is delicate enough not to overheat a sunny South facing room, and the greatest benefit of it is that it will continue to colour change throughout the day.
It’s also perfect for a North facing room because of its warm undertones. As this colour will change throughout the day due to light, and what colours you pair it with, always get a tester pot first and try in your chosen room so you can see how it feels and looks during the day.
What Colours Go Well With Dulux Sweet Embrace?
Lean Into Orange
Take a closer step to making your home or work space even cosier by integrating soft oranges, and rusty terracotta shades into the equation with Sweet Embrace.
Dulux created a super clever colour-flow feature wall with an almost ombre effect look for a feeling of wraparound softness. Doesn’t it look amazing?!
Dulux creative director Marianne Shillingford said “the secret to nailing an ombre wall is keeping it to one feature wall only as it keeps it controllable within the space.
If you’re wanting to add similar colours like Copper Glow and Winter pumpkin to a bedroom, but not through paint, try incorporating similar tones into bedding and cushions for a really sumptuous feel.
Pair With Greens
As we head into 2024, there is still a huge pull towards a natural, earthy colour palette, and we can expect to see even more of forest greens and sage greens in a colour scheme.
Sweet Embrace is the perfect balancing colour against a green for a really tranquil and fluid feel in a room. It pairs perfectly as a feature wall against green as shown in this kitchen.
Combine Yellows & Lilacs
Lilacs and yellow have become a big thing in bedrooms this year, a restorative, and surprisingly sweet colour combination that just works.
Introduce Sweet Embrace into the mix and it provides a perfect foundation against these warmer shades.
You can create a really uplifting colour scheme with Sweet Embrace at the helm, the warm yellow shown here which is Dulux Ochre Sands brings an extra pop of welcome warmth to the bed wall.
Complimentary Colours
You can also pair Sweet Embrace with relevant colours for a cohesive feel.
Johanna Constantinou, Brand and Communications Director at Tapi says: “Pairing low toned pink with bolder colours can create a visually striking and balanced colour palette. Deep greens, navy blues, rich purples or even darker shades of grey can create a contrast and balance when paired with muted pinks.
“If you’re hesitant about using bold colours, start by incorporating them as accents. This can be through accessories such as pillows and will add vibrancy without overwhelming the overall design.”
Half Painted Wall With Lilac
Now, this is how you nail a half painted wall look in your interior.
With Fragrant Peony on the bottom half, the combination with Sweet Embrace on the upper half draws the eye up, giving the illusion of a much bigger space.
Whilst both colours are soft in nature, Sweet Embrace helps to balance the intensity and keep things grounded.
Play With Light To Get The Most Out of The Colour
The beauty of Sweet Embrace is that it is a workable and versatile modern neutral for an interior, it has a metamorphic quality to it, it looks like a warm blush against warmer colours, but with stronger accents such as black and grey, it suddenly becomes a bit cooler, the beauty of a colour like Sweet Embrace is that it will change throughout the day as light changes, and with what colours you pair with it.
James Roberts, Director at Sanctuary Bathrooms says: “According to Dulux, ‘Sweet Embrace’ takes on different tones in different lights2, which means you can be clever with where you use the colour. Positioning it on a wall opposite a window will bring out its soft, calming tone, but in the shadows, it produces a more moody violet shade. This makes it really adaptable, depending on the desired tone of the room.”
It seems like it’s a colour that is set to reign supreme in our bathroom’s in 2024, Amy Wilson, Interior Designer at 247 Blinds and 247 Curtains said, “Interior trends in 2024 will be all about how we can use familiar textures and colours in new ways as we embrace previous trends set to make a resurgence. With Google searches up for ‘minimaluxe’ 1,300% in the past 12 months and Dulux announcing their colour of 2024 as neutral pink Sweet Embrace, we can expect to see a return of pastels and soft pinks to freshen up the trend in the coming months”.
If you don’t want to go for such a bold look, you can lean into neutrals more, depending on your interior colour scheme.
Here are some other colours that work really well with Sweet Embrace;
- Black – when used as a defining accent
- Cream
- White
- Sage green
- Wooden tones
- Grey
- Brown
- Baby blue
- Navy Blue
- Brass finishes
At a glance, here are all of the specific colour palettes Dulux have recommended to pair with Sweet Embrace.
This colour is designed to go with the entire palette so it’s always going to look great and work well with any of these colours you pair it with.
The warm and uplifting colour palette is perfect for North facing rooms as it’s going to counteract the blue light associated with cold North facing rooms.
I’m desperate to try Sweet Embrace in my next project, and I’m really leaning towards using this modern neutral hue in an office for an enveloping, warm feel.
As someone mentioned on the Instagram live where Dulux announced the colour, Sweet Embrace is a hug in a colour, a modern neutral that captures a sense of calm in a fast paced world.
What do you think of the Dulux Sweet Embrace, the colour of 2024?
Before You Go…
Looking for some more Dulux colour inspiration? I share shed loads of paint tips on Sleek-chic Interiors, here are some of the most popular posts that I recommend heading over to next!
I NEVER follow trends because I know ME and what colors I need to be surrounded by. I recently remodeled/redecorated my home using my fav soft teals, pinks, greens and whites. I have never tired of these colors in shades and hues. Entire home rewallpapered, antiques mixing with traditional/modern elements, new handcrafted teal mermaid tile backsplash in kitchen is amazing with swirled brown granite, wraparound almond cabinets, blush velvet chair/stools/teal oversized sofa in dinette. Peacock chaise sofa faces a CURVED Anthro teal and emerald green sofa with soft teal or pink chairs. My bedroom has transformed into boudoir with crystal, watercolor magnolia blossoms in pinks, greens, butter yellow w/ a lace&rose border. I get raves and know this is my sanctuary.